


You're taking my heart by storm

by stinghy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Galra Empire, Lots of Prose, M/M, Mentioned other characters - Freeform, Revolution, Season 7 Spoilers, adam pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-14 22:27:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15398871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stinghy/pseuds/stinghy
Summary: He loves Takashi so much.In this dream, Takashi was never sick, so he never had a near death experience. He never got that foolhardy dream, so he never left. Keith stayed in the Garrison, and they were allhappy.This is the life that Adam had always wanted.He knows down to his very core, that even if Takashi had chosen him over Kerberos, they would not have had this life.How Adam loses his love, picks up the pieces, and finds it again.





	You're taking my heart by storm

**Author's Note:**

> The title is taken from the song Storm by Ruelle. Since the song in the trailer was from Shadowhunters, I thought it would be fitting to use another.

When Adam says "I can't lose you again," Takashi thinks he is referring to the years of separation.

 

Takashi is an esteemed pilot, so his work often leads him into space. Sure, he has been to the moon a few times, but no mission has led him away from home for what could be _years_.

 

So no, it isn't the separation that scares Adam. Takashi is wrong.

 

Adam is consumed by one horrifying vision, one in which Takashi dies in the emptiness of space. Because... Adam has felt that loss before, a couple years ago when Takashi collapsed on the ground, and the doctors said he might not live.

 

Adam knows what it's like to think you may lose someone you love. And he will do anything to never feel that way again, even if it means forcing Takashi to make a choice.

 

On a deeper level, Adam knows his ultimatum is cruel and callous; but he also knows that, in the end, it's useless. Because even before Takashi yearned for Adam, Takashi yearned for the stars. Threatening to leave Takashi is a last ditch effort for someone who has already lost.

 

And if he's a sore loser, then so be it. Adam is stubborn to a fault, so he'll stand there with his fist in his mouth until Takashi changes his mind (he doesn't).

 

They say lovers are alike... and Takashi is just as stubborn.

 

Even so, Adam doesn't relent, he doesn't go running back (some part of him still imagines Takashi will stay). In a catatonic state, Adam watches on the television as the Kerberos mission sets out on humanity's most ambitious endeavor yet.

 

There's a part of him that believes that he and Takashi can still make amends.

 

_When he returns,_ says that small thought.

 

Oh, how wrong he had been. His pigheadedness left him with the biggest regret in his life.

 

The news boldly proclaims:

_The Kerberos mission fails due to pilot error. All are presumed dead._

 

Being right doesn't feel good. For once, he wishes he had been wrong, or that Takashi had heeded his warning.

 

But it's like a story where you know the ending. And their story just happened to be a tragedy.

 

Adam is alone.

 

Takashi is lost.

* * *

 

When Adam closes his eyes, he is taken to a better place, one where Takashi is healthy and, most importantly, alive.

 

Adam wraps his gangly arms around Takashi, who promptly steals his glasses in return. They are so sickeningly sweet, Keith groans behind them, but still smiles fondly. It's the picturesque life of two people who love each other.

 

"Hey, you." Takashi kisses his temple in the way he always does when Adam has been working for far too long.

 

So Adam grabs Takashi's hands. They are warm and marked with familiar callouses, worn over years in the training simulator and piloting. Adam loves these hands, they are the ones that cradle his own head (and heart) when they kiss. These same hands brush the sweat from their owner's forehead as he grins sheepishly at Adam. Adam loves those hands, and he loves Takashi.

 

_He loves Takashi so much._

 

In this dream, Takashi was never sick, so he never had a near death experience. He never got that foolhardy dream, so he never left. Keith stayed in the Garrison, and they were all _happy_.

 

This is the life that Adam had always wanted.

 

He knows down to his very core, that even if Takashi had chosen him over Kerberos, they would not have had this life.

 

Takashi is (Adam will never use _"was"_ ) not one to hold a grudge. So he would not harbor ill feelings toward Adam, even with the ultimatum. But that does not mean Adam would not regret forcing Takashi to choose.

 

His statement "me or Kerberos" had forced Takashi to rip out, stitch by stitch, a part of himself. And that only goes to prove to Adam how much Takashi had yearned to go to space.

 

Adam can only respect that.

 

(Even if he is consumed by regret in the process.)

* * *

Adam can't bring himself to love someone again. It's too soon (it's always too soon), and it's no one's fault but his own. A part of him left with Takashi, out to the far reaches of the solar system and beyond. That part buried itself in the dust of Pluto's moon (right where his love's body probably lays).

 

There's a part of him that tries to remind him that Takashi would not have crashed. This is only reinforced by Adam's memories of piloting alongside him. Adam remembers Takashi in the simulator—he was breathtaking. Everything was second nature to him. He tries to remember if Takashi was always so skilled... perhaps he wasn't, but the only thing Adam can recall is Takashi as he was when they were together.

 

Radiant, skilled, and _happy_.

 

Takashi is the pinnacle of heroism, and while he can do anything, one of those things is not "pilot error."

 

This thought is stomped out by another part of Adam, which drowns him in the reminder that he shouldn't care. After all, _Adam_ left Takashi.

 

He has no right to complain.

 

Here's the thing about regret: it's suffocating and it tells you that you don't deserve happiness. In any other case, Adam would have doubted the Garrison, but he does not because he is consumed by regret.

 

So he wallows in despair, in dreams of what-could-have-beens. And he thinks that in another life, where Takashi returned safely, Adam would run up and hold him. In this imaginary future, Adam sobs out apologies and never lets go again. This is the only thing he wishes for.

 

When he wakes up, it's with tear-stained pillows and a heart wrenched from his chest. As he grasps to put his heart back in place, his skin crawls (he just wants to scratch it off his bones), and the other side of the bed remains desolate.

 

One night, Adam grasps for his glasses on the nightstand after a dream that leaves him clammy and gasping for air. His fumbling whacks against a picture frame, which shatters on the ground.

 

His hand is cut, but he somehow gets his glasses on and glances down. As if it were a message from God... the broken frame held the picture of him and Takashi.

 

_Oh cruel irony._

 

The next day, three Garrison students go missing. It's quite terrible, in fact, especially for the families. However, Takashi is still gone.

 

Nothing has changed.

* * *

Sam's return marks the beginning of the end.

 

Adam is elated, of course. _Takashi is alive. Takashi is ALIVE._

 

But still, Takashi is gone—off to fight some war far more dangerous than any mission to Kerberos. The Galra sound sinister, like the stereotypical villains from the sci-fi movies he and Takashi would watch together. In any form of fiction, Adam would have laughed (and Takashi would be there laughing, too).

 

Sam is broadcasted worldwide, and a call to arms is given. From every corner, humanity readies themselves for the imminent storm. Adam wonders why the Paladins never sent any messages home to their families... or maybe they had, and he was just not important enough to receive word.

 

That only solidifies Adam's theory that Takashi must have forgotten him by now.

 

However, the fact that Takashi is alive is enough, a calm reassurance for his addled mind.

 

Adam clenches the picture in his hands, wrinkling it at its edges. He loves Takashi, so if Takashi can find happiness someday, that will be enough.

 

If a small Altean storage device makes its way into his mailbox and is lost among the unopened bills and strewn about junk, well, who is he to ever know?The Galran invasion comes like a firestorm. All Hell breaks loose as lasers blaze across cities, leaving only destruction in their wake.

* * *

 

Earth's surrender comes sooner rather than later. Surprisingly, they do not take all of humanity prisoner... no, they ask for only three people.

 

It's pragmatic and horrifying how they choose—one little girl from a certain Cuban family, the mother of a Samoan family, and the wife of Sam Holt.

 

Adam wonders why they don't ask for Takashi's family... and he comes to a horrifying conclusion. Between the time that Sam returned and now, Takashi had died. There couldn't be any other explanation. Why wouldn't the Galra exploit every angle they could? Or could it be that they couldn't think of anyone important enough to him to exploit?

 

In any case, his heart breaks a bit more, if it were even possible.

 

But in that moment, he also finds resolve.

 

Takashi had been captured, tortured, and perhaps killed; and _these_ were the ones at fault.

 

Adam hadn't worked alongside the most-decorated pilot ever and just been mediocre.

 

The rest of Earth is complacent, handing over their own for the pretense of peace. While Takashi never held a grudge, Adam sure did. And the Galra really needed to be knocked down a peg... forever.

 

He grabs the phone and calls a number he has rarely, if ever, used.

 

The ringing on his end reverberates as a warning, and then stops. A crackle tells Adam that the other line picked up. He pauses for less than a second, but it's not because of hesitancy. His decision was made years ago, when Takashi left Earth with his heart.

 

"Hello, is this Samuel Holt?"

* * *

 

Igniting a revolution is not easy at first sight, and it certainly is no small matter in practice. Despite this, Adam and Sam kick it off instantly. They have both lost so much. Before Colleen had been taken and the war had only just begun, she and Sam had sent a distress beacon into space.

 

But now, months later and no savior to be seen, they know that no one heard—not even Voltron... if they were even still alive. The Blade of Marmora, a Galran resistance apparently, had sent word to Sam that Voltron has been missing for months, disappearing after their fight with the former Emperor Lotor.

 

To only make matters worse... the rebellion is failing. With the universe's symbol of peace missing, no extraterrestrials will aid Earth, and Earth is so technologically behind, it has no hope of matching the Galra. In recent weeks, the Galra had been allowing loyal Earthlings the _privilege_ of helping the Galra.

 

And if they were not willing? Well, their opinion never mattered anyways.

 

"It's no use," Adam slams his fists onto the rusted table in their underground shelter. Three weeks ago, he and Sam had been forced to flee after the Galra razed their last hideout. "While they hold us under their thumb, the Galaxy Garrison is content to twiddle its thumbs. Why can't they see that the Galra won't wait much longer!"

 

Sam sighs and rests his face in his palms. Unlike Adam, Sam had experienced life firsthand in slavery. "Until Voltron is proven to be gone, Sendak won't risk making a move on Earth. We're too valuable a hostage."

 

"Voltron is dead!" Palms sweating, hackles raised, and three days without sleep, Adam looks halfway to death. Just as quickly as his anger flared, exhaustion saps out all of his energy; Adam crumples into the chair beside Sam. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. Sometimes," he slumps further into himself, "it feels like we're the only ones left. Those people throwing themselves at the Galra... they don't even realize what they're doing."

 

"But you know... do you?" Sam questions.

 

Exasperated, Adam snorts. "Only from you."

 

There is an extended silence in the underground shelter. Closing his eyes, Sam lets out a breath (of hope). "Maybe you're right. Maybe we don't stand a chance. But if there is one thing I learned during that year," the _'of slavery'_ goes unmentioned this time. "It's that the universe survived without Voltron for ten thousand years, and so can we."

 

"What's the point of survival if it's a meager existence?"

 

"Well," Sam fixes his glasses, like he has found some resolve. "I think you and me, young lad, can make some difference on our own."

 

This is the moment Adam realizes. He realizes that humanity may never unite against the Galra, and that's okay; because even if they did, Earth doesn't stand a chance against Haggar's druid magic.

 

They're fighting a losing war, there chances of winning are negligible. But that's what the rest of the universe thought thousands of years ago, and yet, they survived... and so can Earth.

 

Adam settles into his thoughts for a bit, but then Sam clears his throat.

 

"Can I ask you something... personal?" Sam seems almost sheepish, scratching the back of his neck.

 

Adam's slight nod is the only affirmation needed.

 

"What did your video say?"

 

The question is said as if it were extremely personal, but Adam has no idea what he's talking about. "Video?"

 

Sam pauses, "you didn't get yours?" A deep hollowness fills his eyes... probably remembering his family that has been lost. In an inaudible whisper, the older man mumbles to himself. "Maybe it's better to not linger on the past if they're gone."

 

This only makes Adam more curious than before. "What? What video?"

 

"Nevermind," Sam waves his hand in dismissal. "Just another piece of propaganda."

 

Adam doesn't believe him, but he let's the matter settle. If Sam had a reason not to tell him, it must be important, and with stress running high, he doesn't want to leave either of them in a bad mood.

 

Looking back, he wishes he had pushed more.

* * *

 

"Burn it! Burn it all!"

 

Sam rushes from behind Adam, another stack of papers in his arms, which he lobs into the fire.

 

"There's not much time left. We need to get out of here!" Adam panics as he throws more into the fire. Another plan burnt to a crisp. However, it's necessary since the Galra are knocking on their door.

 

Above them, an incessant pounding on the front door shakes the support beams above them, and dirt showers down. A moment later, a loud crash alerts them that the door has been forced open. At best, they have a few minutes before the Galra uncover their hideout, but still, many confidential documents remain intact.

 

Adam squeezes his eyes shut and then opens them. There, in front of him, Sam keeps working... but there is not enough time. It's useless; Adam realizes this terrible truth. "Sam, you need to get out of here." He shoves a pile of papers into the older man's arms.

 

(Among those papers is a wrinkled and slightly blood-stained picture.)

 

Everyone knows Sam is a smart man, a genius in fact. And he hears the unspoken words: _leave me and go._ He opens his mouth as if to object, but closes it just as quickly. "I'm sorry..."

 

For what? Their failure? That he will leave the other man behind? Earth's fall?

 

There's barely anything said, but it's enough. A door opens in the corner of the room. As Sam disappears into it, he doesn't glance back, and then it closes with a click, leaving no evidence of its existence.

 

Now alone, Adam slugs more papers into the fire; all the while, the footsteps above rumble, fortelling an impending doom. He works quicker and quicker, with only the flame fueled by burnt dreams to light the room.

 

Suddenly, a door in the ceiling is flung open, and Adam has to blink away the harshness of the silhouette looming above.

 

He should stop now... but he's almost done.

 

Without glancing away, Adam throws another pile in. It crisps, shrinks, shrivels, and then crumbles to dust.

 

All in good time...

* * *

 

It's a few months into his capture that Voltron returns. In a blazing glory, they come as humanity's messiah. They come prepared to defend Earth... not realizing that they must liberate it first. Because Earth has long since fallen into the Galra's hands.

 

Slaving away, Adam has spent the past few months working in the Galran mines on Mars. Every day he toils away in darkness, and every night, he and the rest of the prisoners are shuttled onto a ship orbiting the red planet. Adam had made the choice to save Sam, knowing full well that he was practically throwing his life away... but he did so anyways.

 

But, in the end, there was never a choice.

 

Just as the Blade of Marmora understands, the Galra cannot be defeated by a full-on frontal assault without the Alliance's symbol of unity: Voltron. Before it disappeared, the Voltron Alliance had the power to rival that of the Galra. But it seems that they have forgotten; and in the months the Paladins were gone, the Alliance has fallen apart.

 

Voltron is coming to save them. That should be what reinvigorates Adam... but all he can think of is Takashi—Takashi alive.

 

Adam catches his first glimpse of him during the compulsory Galran propaganda showings. During a rather bland piece depicting the might of the Empire, the starship rumbles and the monitor cuts out.

 

Every prisoner in the room seems almost silent. People would have probably started running, but it's not really an option when you're chained to the chair.

 

The screen fizzles to life again, but it's not who anyone was expecting... it's Takashi. His hair is white, and a ong scar mars his face. In place of an arm, there's merely a metal stub on his shoulder. All of this is drowned out in Adam's mind as he stares at _Takashi_.

 

_"This is Takashi of the Voltron Alliance. We are here to save you."_

 

Salvation is no longer a pipe dream... and Takashi is there, worse for the wear perhaps, but living nonetheless.

 

Adam sobs into his tattered sleeve.

 

This is enough.

* * *

 

Adam is cramped near a window as he is being shuttled back to Earth. He's in the Yellow Lion, but the thing that sticks out is that Takashi _isn't_ there. Instead, the pilot is an amicable teenager, yet there's also the hint of battle-hardness in how his shoulders tense.

 

It only shows how the war has touched so many. Adam sees it in himself, in the bloodied callouses which mar his hands, in the month-old dirt which has crusted under his nails, in the rags which sag over his bones.

 

He really, _really_ wants to ask the Yellow Paladin about Takashi, but there are other prisoners being brought back with him, and it seems like a conversation suited in private.

 

Instead, Adam takes a moment to stare out the window. Staring out into that vastness, he thinks he can see what Takashi saw—beauty undiscovered, dreams unfulfilled, and peril waiting in earnest.

 

Takashi went out into that endless expanse with a dying body, knowing full well the risks... And Adam left him—his flyboy, lover, _fiancé_ —alone.

 

_God, he misses Takashi._

* * *

 

Adam remembers the promise he made to himself so long ago when he thought Takashi was dead. He told himself that if he had the chance, he would hold him and never let go. Just hold on... hold on...

 

Physically and mentally, Takashi has lost so much in space. But this is him. This is the man he loves above all else, no matter what separates them—heaven, sea, or universe.

 

Clenching his hands into Takashi's shirt, Adam sobs and sobs until his vision blurs. Takashi nestles his head, covered in a nest of shocking white hair, in the crook of Adam's neck, and they are whole again.

 

_How important is Takashi to Adam?_

 

He's everything. He's the sun, he's the moon, he's the whole universe.

 

"I'm home."

 

_They're home._

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of feelings about this ship. It has done everything for me, I feel so happy whenever I think about it. The day it came out, I couldn't sleep, so I wrote half of this at 3 am. I still have a few klance fics half-written... who knows if I'll ever finish them. Adashi has taken my heart.
> 
> I have no doubt that this won't be canon when season 7 premieres... but maybe the reunion will be? That's all I really want from the next two seasons, a cute reunion (and maybe a kiss?).
> 
> There was a part of me that thought while writing this that I could make Adam suffer longer... and I couldn't do it. This is plenty angst. 
> 
> Thank you to Star (twitter@staraptures) for the beta.


End file.
